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Talking about text, does size really matter?
How do you change the size of text?
Every modern browser allows the user to change the text size on most web pages and has done so for a very long time. Websites often do not have any accessibility icons that allow the visitor to change the text size with the click of a mouse or the stroke of a key, relying instead on the expectation that visitors will know this fact for themselves.
We have accessibility buttons on every website we have ever built since our first one in 2006 and there has always been at least one button to make the text larger.
We have had people comment as to whether this is even good practice, and that is what prompted me to write this today.
Why do we have buttons that can do it?
There are two reasons why we will always offer buttons to change the text size:
- Not everyone who visits a website knows that they can change the text size within their browser. Offering visible Text Accessibility Buttons at least increases the likelihood of such a person changing the text size and finding it easier to read your website.
- It is a public statement that you really want to welcome all visitors to your website, regardless of their ability or disability.
How welcoming are you really being by expecting your visitors to change the text size themselves on their browsers?
A simple comparison
It is a little bit like those lovely old inaccessible theatres where the wheelchair entrance is round the back, down a side street, coming through the backroom storage area, the kitchen and having to navigate all sorts of hazards along the way, whilst everyone else serenely walks up the very short flight of steps that allow you to enter through the majestic front doors.
Making part of those short steps into a ramp might make the building look a bit different but it also tells the world that you do not just talk about #diverisity #equality and #inclusion, you want to shout about it!
Accessibility and Design NOT Design and Accessibility!
We are called Access by Design because we believe these two concepts can and should co-exist but Accessibility should always come first. Our new website will, we hope, take this concept further than we have seen anywhere else. It is coming soon…
Would you like to find out more?
My TEDxTalk on website accessibility has been watched over 22,500 times on the TEDx Channel! If you would like a clear, easy-to-understand explanation of what website accessibility actually is, how it affects you and what you can do about it, please follow this link: https://youtu.be/i_Tjr6Mli4s
Find out more about website accessibility.
If you are interested in a free initial review of the accessibility of your website, why not book yourself in for a consultation? Please follow this link:
https://calendly.com/cliveloseby/accessibility-audit-free-initial-consultation
Clive Loseby
Access by Design. Accessible Websites, Beautifully Designed.
Outstanding web audits
Award-winning web design, Chichester.
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